CHAMPAIGN — Ben Troike spent Wednesday morning on the phone with his adviser. Those conversations had the Illinois shortstop feeling fairly certain he'd be selected early in the day, as Major League Baseball teams completed rounds 11 through 40 of the draft.
Troike's wait turned out to be relatively short. He had to sit through just 20 picks before the Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the 11th round.
"Honestly waiting this morning was pretty tough just waiting for the draft to start," Troike said. "To hear my name called early and get that off my chest was a good feeling.